Trump and Tim Cook go face-to-face to talk US trade policy

Tim Cook and Donald Trump at one of their earlier meetings. Photo: White House

Apple’s CEO quietly made a visit to the White House today, where Tim Cook met with Pres. Trump to discuss trade and other matters.

The tax Trump is threatening to put on all Apple’s imports from China as part of his ongoing trade war has to have been prominent.

The president and Cook talked about “trade, U.S. investment, immigration and privacy” White House spokesman Judd Deere told Reuters.

Room for agreement and disagreement

These are all topics that the two have plenty to discuss. Cook doesn’t agree with Trump’s use of tariffs, and has told him so in the past. The hefty import taxes on Apple’s products that the president is considering could force Foxconn to move iPhone assembly out of China.

The two men also disagree in immigration. For example, Apple’s CEO supports legal protection for some immigrants under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which the President has threatened to end.

But there are areas where Trump and Cook do see eye to eye. The president has repeatedly praised Apple for its plans to invest heavily in its US facilities. And both men believe in protecting the privacy of Americans.